'If we don't respect him..': Shaheen Afridi blasts star bowler for 'Babar-tailender' remark

Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Amir has sparked a major row when he compared bowling to Pakistan captain Babar Azam just like bowling to a tailender. Amir plays for Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the left-arm pacer made the controversial comment before the start of Karachi’s game against Babar-led Peshawar Zalmi in its opening match of PSL.

“These kinds of matchups and player rivalries keep players on their toes. I personally like these sort of challenges because it keeps me focused. My job is to take wickets and win matches for my team, so for me, facing Babar or a tailender batting at number 10 will be the same,” Amir said.

Amir’s statement has not gone down well with many cricketers, including Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi.

 “He said that for Babar? That's surprising. If you go anywhere in the world and say that Babar is playing for us, they will say 'Oh, Babar! (He's a) King,” Afridi told Geo News.

“This shouldn't happen. Babar is our no.1 player and we respect him. If we, as Pakistanis, won't respect him, who else will do?” Afridi added.

Amir failed to perform well in the match against Peshawar Zalmi and he also grabbed haeadlines for throwing ball at Babar to vent his frustration over bad bowling.